Day on, AAP, Congress councillors resign from Mayor-formed panel

A day after Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla announced the formation of a special committee to examine revised zoning for Pocket No. 6 in Manimajra, all four councillors belonging to the opposition Congress and AAP resigned from it. The Municipal Corporation has planned to auction seven acres at Pocket No. 6 for a housing project.

While Sarabjit Kaur of the BJP was made the chairperson, the other members of the committee were Mahesh Inder Singh Sidhu, also from BJP, Gurpreet Singh and Taruna Mehta of Congress, Jasbir Singh Laddi and Prem Lata of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and nominated councillors Naresh Panchal and Dr Ramneek Singh Bedi. The Mayor said the committee was formed to facilitate a robust and informed discussion on the oustee quota and zoning plan issues. The committee is tasked with submitting its recommendations and suggestions for placement in the next meeting of the MC General House.

Deputy Mayor Taruna Mehta, Gurpreet Singh, Prem Lata and Jasbir Singh Laddi have submitted their resignations to the MC Commissioner and sent a copy to the Mayor.

AAP councillors said the financial transactions running into crores required detailed deliberations in the House with technical experts and representatives from the Engineering Department so as to ensure transparency and prevent fund misuse. They alleged that the opposition councillors were forcefully removed from the House meeting, creating an unconducive environment for fair discussions.

City AAP president Vijaypal Singh assured that the matter would be addressed and transparency would be ensured.

In a statement, Taruna Mehta said, “I will not be a part of any committee as my fellow councillors and I were twice subjected to physical violence, injuries and forced eviction by marshals during the recent MC House meeting.”

She said technically, everything from the zoning plan to the master plan and the CBR rules had to be prepared by officials. “Until they do that, what is the purpose or justification of this committee? In any case, the opinions of all 44 councillors should be sought in the largest auction in Chandigarh MC’s history. For this reason, a special meeting should be held to discuss the Manimajra land auction, and a conclusion should be reached only after consultation with all,” she said.

Gabi said the committee held no legitimate authority and that all councillors should be included in such important deliberations in the interest of the city. He said the matter involved land worth crores of rupees and must be discussed transparently. “Only a collective, in-depth discussion among all councillors can lead to a fair and concrete decision. The BJP has misled the public in the name of projects like 24×7 water supply. We will not allow people to be deceived again through this land deal,” he said.

The Mayor said, “I have consistently maintained that we will ensure 100% transparency in the auction of the land in Pocket No. 6. A special committee comprising councillors from all political parties was formed as decided in the last House meeting to examine the oustee quota and zoning plan. The sudden departure of those who claim to be working in the city’s interests corroborates that they are not serious about the city’s development.”